Author's Notes...
This was written as summer homework, but I decided to upload it here so that my teacher could read the rest of it. (stupid time limits). Anyways enjoy. Look out for new chapters once in a while, expect only 4-8 chapters may do epilogue. Written in first person.
Tattered Souls
The year 3024, Earth has been completely destroyed and human life, scarce. Two years ago Earth's ozone layer was breached and a radiation spread throughout Earth causing a mutation and it killed many species of animals, humans, and made drinkable water harder to find. Some humans survived while others lost their mind due to their mutation and resorted to cannibalism, only making it harder for humans to walk outside somewhat peacefully. Soon the cannibals were given a name, 'Hu-mutts', which stood for 'Human mutts'. They were given that name due to the fact that they charged in like diseased dogs and shred their target open before eating. The Hu-mutts would eat their target by first shredding it apart, then snapping the neck waiting for blood to splash out then slurp until no blood was left, lastly eating the muscles leaving the rest of the body to rot. At least the radiation has stopped, but it stopped too late, more and more Hu-mutts appeared each day and the numbers increased, and so we started to fight back. Due to the outbreak of Hu-muttscannibals several bases were set up throughout Earth, protecting the defenseless using their soldiers, with the soldiers the population of Hu-mutts decreased. Alas, Earth was still in ruins due to the previous Hu-mutt attacks, and technology almost as rare as human life. Yet there was still hope for all, a power source that could alter the future was rumored to be on Earth. No one knows where it is or how to use it, as for now humans live a tortured life, living in a place we once called home.
"Van….Van…" A familiar voice said to me. Though I could only see a blur of the figure it was a young boy who seemed to be dressed in white, then his mouth again opened. "Van, my friend, wake up now today is the day." The voice said. "What day?" I said in response. "The next day of course!" And with that I woke up. I remained silent for about two minutes then got up to greet everybody. I lived in a small base so I knew everybody's name. The base was not filthy really, it just felt like we were mash potato in there, though outside the base was huge. "G'morning sir." I said to one of the soldiers as I exited the building. We had, it seemed, an infinite walking area, yet we had several gates set around the area, which protected us from future Hu-mutt attacks. Soon I passed one of the kids living in the base, Arnold. Arnold always acted like he was hiding something; his body shook rapidly as I approached him. "Hey Arnold have you seen Davis?" I asked. "Uh..he….he's over there…" He pointed to his right and walked quickly away. "Daaaaavis!" I shouted. Davis was my brother; he was three years older than me, seventeen years old, while I was fourteen. We practically wore the same clothes, a faded red shirt and torn up jeans, except Davis wore an extra shirt with long sleeves to cover his right arm. We had similar eye colors, red, but Davis's right eye turned black during the radiation. Our parents died due to a Hu-mutt attack so I hung onto him, though he didn't care much about me. "What? Can't you see I'm thinking?" He then stood up from the rock he was sitting on. "So?" He said with an irritated face. "I…I…I wanted to say 'hi'." I stepped back. Then his face turned red. "You bothered me just to say 'hi'!" His face looking at me with disgust, then he sat upon the rock again. "You're my brother so why not say 'hi'?" I asked sitting down next to him. "Van, I'm leaving." He said to me getting up and shrugging my shirt, which told me to do the same. "Could I come?" I asked as we were walking throughout the fields. "No, you can't we may not have the mutual topic." He said stopping slowly and sitting down on a bench. "What is that suppose to mean?" I said looking carefully at his face. Then his index finger twitched and alarm bells were ringing. His face looked devious. "Do you know why we have red eyes?" He asked. I nodded a 'no'. "Because if we carefully stare at something we can see its inevitable future." Soldiers were rushing in to where the alarm was sounding. "Try it out...Brother….Van…until we meet again." Then as the soldiers rushed through the bench I saw him get up and run along with them. Then I saw him rush through the opened gate, gone.
"Davis!" I ran towards the gate also, only to be stopped by a soldier. "Van! Stop!" He grabbed my shoulder tightly. "But- Davis!" He pulled me back into the base. "Stay there! Hu-mutts are attacking the main gate. We'll have to secure everyone inside the base." He said angrily, and then ran outside the base. "Davis…carefully stare and we can see something's inevitable future..." I carefully stared at the guard as he ran towards the main gate. In a split second I saw visions somehow within that time I memorized everything that was going to happen. "He was being attacked by Hu-mutts, clawing at his face, while the other soldiers tried to shoot them off, but they wouldn't stop." I mumbled. "Maybe I can stop that from happening!" I jumped up then paused. "Inevitable future. So I can't decide what to do. Either way it would happen wouldn't it?" I returned to my spot within the base looking down on the floor. Then I heard agonizing shouts. I didn't believe his pain would be so loud. "I…will…find…it." I slowly mumbled. "The power source, so I can change everyone's future." Then I lay down on my bed, hearing no more ringing and the loud echoing sounds of soldier boots marching in, I fell asleep. I soon woke up in the middle of the night. "I have to escape." I slowly sat down on my bed. Through my mind ran plans of ways to escape. Then the perfect plan came to mind.
The next day I executed my plan. "Hello Henry." Henry was a soldier and dressed like the others, camouflage clothing and leather boots. Then I passed by him grabbing the key card sticking out of his pocket, which opened the armory. I then ran towards the armory door, dodging the security cameras along the way. I inserted the key card into the blue pad which scanned it and opened the doors. "Alright now what to get?" I grabbed a backpack and stuffed several trail mix packs into the side of the backpack. Then found a pistol which glistened, telling me to get it, so I did. Grabbed ammunition packs and bolted out, ignoring the security cameras. Then an alarm bleated. It was so loud my ears ringed along with the annoying sound. "No! They can't catch me..not yet I have to find out what David is doing." Then soldiers rushed in blocking my exit. "Van please stop." It was the leading soldier, Colonello. He was the, somewhat, kind soldier and the most trained, he was once in the U.S army. "No!" I dug into the backpack grabbing out the pistol. I cocked it then aimed it at Colonello. "Stop me and I'll shoot!" I yelled keeping the trigger within my reach. "Stun him." Colonello said then the soldiers brought out tasers. And clicked the triggers. At the moment I was still then I felt an urge to move forward, towards the tasers. I yelled unleashing all my pain within that one run, somehow I made it, feeling immobilized, but I was out. Next was to get out of the base.